In Christine Nagel’s world, creativity is unencumbered by earthly limitations. But of course, this is a privilege that is extended only to the few who are a part of the Hermès universe. “When I joined Hermès, I was absolutely impressed by the freedom of creation and how genuine it is,” she quips, punctuating her statement with a small smile. It is midday in Paris where Nagel is based, and she is a vision in white. Cradled in her hands is her latest masterpiece: the Barénia Pleine Fleur Eau de Parfum. “For the first time, I had enough time. If you need six months more, a year more, the maison waits until the creation is ready. There are no timelines or deadlines. And there is no marketing at Hermès. So once the perfume is agreed upon, then there is the creation of the bottle, the name, and the communication side of things, but the creative process is fully free.”
It is safe to say that this is a prerogative Nagel doesn’t take for granted. The Barénia Pleine Fleur—the third within the family—sets itself apart thanks to floral leanings that speak of refinement and confidence; a standout concoction serving as the epitome of the modern Hermès woman. The cherry on top: its spherical vessel, which includes conical detailing that pays tribute to the maison’s Collier de chien bracelet. A Hermès creation through and through, as Nagel is quick to point out.
“I would say that the whole story of Barénia is quite surprising, in that I began to work with this chypre and the first time I worked on it was twelve years ago. And it was something that I really believed in. It wasn’t asked of me and it was a sort of secret project of mine for a number of years,” she discloses. “I presented it to Pierre-Alexis Dumas, the artistic director at Hermès, when it was ready. And today it enabled me to create a signature with different olfactory notes. For instance, the Barénia Eau de Parfum intense was a more sensual leathery and patchouli fragrance. But I wanted to have a brighter version of it because chypre is quite specific, quite sophisticated. And so having this floral note added to the chypre makes it more open, and that perhaps will draw customers into the world of chypre.”
Chypre and, of course, the Barénia Pleine Fleur itself. We sat down with Nagel to find out more, dissecting the maison’s latest olfactive creation as well as her future plans in the fragrance space, from her impact in the industry to the feelings she hopes to evoke through her creations.
Congratulations on launching the Barénia Pleine Fleur. Tell us more about its essence: was there a singular person in your life—or perhaps yourself—that you feel served as a muse to this fragrance?
I very rarely work on a fragrance for one particular woman. Now, I deeply love chypre fragrances. It is in my view, the most beautiful structure and whenever I can work with chypre, I do. So that was a personal note of mine. But I also looked at the Hermès woman. To me, an Hermès woman has a certain bold taste. The structure of the chypre, I thought, really fit in with that nicely. And the Hermès woman, Malgosia Bella, she has this sense of chic that goes really nicely with chypre. During the creative process, I also read a lot about Nancy Cunard. Nancy Cunard was a woman who was very bold. She loved bracelets; she had as many bracelets as lovers. And she had a very bold taste, a very assertive taste, and so that was sort of inspiration for this perfume.
What would you say is the most distinctive part of this fragrance?
In my view, Barénia Pleine Fleur is much brighter and more radiant. I think it’s very cozy in a way. The Barénia Pleine Fleur gives me the most cheer and pleasure, because I almost feel like you’re being stroked by petals and at the same time, there’s a very elegant note that’s plain to see. I went with white lily because it has a lot of character to it. Then I wanted to add a more sweet note, and that led me to orange blossom. It’s something that we loved from childhood, and ninety percent of colognes for children have orange blossom in them because it exudes a kind of joy. So, when you have a very powerful white lily and then a more delicate orange blossom, they don’t overpower each other. The orange blossom just adds a very subtle suppleness to the lily. I thought that that was a beautiful accord, having these two together.
Are there any emotions you hope to evoke from a person wearing Barénia Pleine Fleur specifically?
Comfort and elegance come to mind. It is not on sale yet, so I am waiting for the moment where I’ll be able to smell it on somebody else because that, to me, is the most emotional moment in the process. When I cross someone in the street or bump into someone and I go “Oh! They are wearing Barénia!”. It’s a little bit of my heart that I feel they are wearing.
When it comes to fragrance-making at Hermès, is there ever a concern about having to balance commercial needs with your own vision?
No, I’ve never been called to meet any commercial expectations. That’s what’s special about Hermès. Axel Dumas, the CEO of Hermès, said to me once, “You need boldness. Without boldness, there’s no creation.” And that’s a very beautiful thing to say. But then he added: “You’re allowed to make mistakes. I would rather you make mistakes having been bold rather than having made a mistake by following others”. So that notion of boldness is what’s required of me in a sense, to make that step and be really creative.
I find what you said about making mistakes really interesting. In that vein, what would you say is the biggest mistake you’ve made during your perfume journey?
My greatest mistake would be not embracing whatever comes. It’s an interesting question because this reminds me of this one day at the very beginning of the Barénia creative process, where I made an error with patchouli. I used too much of it. So when I received my tester, I smelled it and I was very surprised. Then I realised it gave such personality, and that’s the direction I had to take. You need to trust your instincts. A mistake is never a mistake; it’s a happy coincidence.
The maison has such a rich history. Is there a part of Hermès’s story that you wish to tell through your fragrance, but haven’t got around to yet?
There are so many aspects of it that I would need a lifetime to discuss it all and to explore it all. This feeling exists because of the wealth of that heritage that Hermès has. And so, I don’t think I would ever have enough time to explore it all. In a way, that’s a good thing, because it means that future perfumers will have a lot of material to work on.
Personally, are there any fabrics or textures from the Hermès archives that resonate with you personally, and how has that translated into your work?
When I joined Hermès, one of the first things I asked was to visit the leather workshop. I immediately fell in love with Barénia, which is a leather that is very sensual to the touch. If you leave a mark on it and then rub it, the mark will disappear. It has a sort of patina effect. Its colour changes with time. And so, between the first Barénia and Barénia Pleine Fleur, there is this change of colour as well, and that comes from patina. It is meant to reflect this leather that becomes more beautiful with age.
Lastly, is there a conversation you hope the presence of the Barénia Pleine Fleur is able to start within the fragrance sphere?
What I’d like to see is more boldness, in that we always try to have distinctive signatures at Hermès. And so I hope that the success of these fragrances will spur on other companies to do the same—to be bold and more different. And I think that going off the beat of having stronger signatures is also a step in the right direction. So if I can contribute to that in any way, then I’m very glad to.
The Hermès Barénia Pleine Fleur retails at $331 for 100ml, and is available online.
